


Shadow Preachers

by Animess



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Decisions, Eren and Levi are crazy about each other as usual, Eren is a miscreant, Family Drama, Humor, Levi is a PO, M/M, Mikasa is a good sister, Paranormal, Probation AU, Rating will change, Romance, paranormal undertones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-11 13:08:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7893835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animess/pseuds/Animess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren didn't think it could get much worse after he got shot, but fate always did like to prove him wrong.<br/>House arrest, trust issues, and a gorgeous yet unreadable probation officer; not to mention his never ending existential crisis. <br/>Then something goes bump in the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm A Renegade, I Always Was

Jean left me behind. 

_ Jean left me behind. _

Eren’s mind, working in overdrive, could only seem to produce this one thought over and over again, pumping through him like the rush of blood in his veins. 

His heartbeat was no more a beat but a slamming drum against his chest, his heavy breathing visible in the biting cold night air. 

He left me here.

_ Pump, pump. _

He left me here,  _ alone _ , and bleeding, and he took all the money, he took  _ everything _ -

_ Pump pump, pump pump. _

Eren grit his teeth as a hot tear spilled down his cheek, mixing with the drops of blood that had dripped onto the asphalt. The wail of sirens in the distance roared closer.

Closer to  _ him _ .

* * *

 

“Your Honor…troubled past....mental instability and past dabbling in illegal substances…blah blah blah.” 

Eren tuned out his appointed attorney as the jackass rattled off his “history”. These people didn’t know shit about Eren. They only ever saw what they wanted to see, and Eren was always packed off to another dingy self-help program. 

He was sick of programs. 

“....understand, but the boy’s had many chances…” 

_ Boy?  _ Eren thought to himself, shooting a glare at the ancient, dead-eyed judge who hadn’t cast him so much as a glance since he walked into the courtroom. _ Twenty-two and kicking, asshole. Just like you won’t be for much longer. _

“Certainly, with the right amount of care he could-” 

“I have heard quite enough, thank you. The boy’s crimes are only escalating, and with this most recent attempted robbery, he’ll end up hurting not only himself but others,” the judge interrupted, his voice flat and droning. Eren glanced down at his left leg, as if he could see the wrapped up bullet wound hidden by the black denim there. _ Well how the hell was I supposed to know the clerk had a gun too? Then again, they’re probably not upset with me over my failed robbery so much as the attempt itself in the first place. Fuck if I care. _

“...therefore, I hereby sentence one Eren Jaeger to the alternative sentencing of eight months under house arrest, placed with his older sister in the residence of 8624 Mavi Lane, apartment 664.” The slam of the gavel upon the thick wood gave Eren a jolt, as well as the last statement. “Court dismissed.” 

His attorney requested  _ house arrest _ while he wasn’t listening? With  _ Mikasa _ ? 

Fuck.

* * *

 

Eren glared at the blur of brown and green that whirred by outside his window on the car ride to his sister’s place. What used to be  _ his  _ place, as well, but he felt no bitterness over that. He was the one who had left, anyway. 

“Did the foliage do somethin’ to offend you? Or are you just mad at the world, and everyone in it?” 

Eren’s glare increased tenfold as he met the condescending eyes of his driver in the rearview mirror. He was the probation officer that fitted him with his ankle bracelet, but he wasn’t Eren’s permanent PO. Thank fuck for that. 

“Screw you, you middle-part geezer.” 

The man’s eyes narrowed, but he just shook his head, dirty blond hair bouncing slightly as he muttered, ‘stupid kids and their stupid shaggy haircuts’ and ‘i’m not that old.’ 

Eren rolled his eyes, shifting his ever present glare to the device on his ankle. The officers had told him that it was GPS, waterproof, and had a built in laser along the band that signalled his officer when tampered with; in other words, don’t try anything, slick. 

“We’re here,” the PO grunted as the car rolled to a stop in front of the apartment buildings. “Don’t leave the building tonight, parameters haven’t been set. Your appointment for your permanent probation officer is at eleven tomorrow mornin’, so don’t be late. Capiche?” 

Eren grunted wordlessly back, opening the door and getting out of the car. He slammed the door shut behind him and stuffed his hands in his pockets, ignoring the annoyed honk from the PO before hearing the car peel away. 

Sighing, Eren took in his surroundings. 

The trees were barren and scraggly looking, their branches resembling long, bony fingers creaking in the mid-winter wind. The fountain by the leafless bushes was empty, but that made sense; the water would only freeze over and trap unsuspecting insects and small birds in it’s icy clutches as temperatures dropped. 

Eren shivered and let out a visible breath of air, taking note of how cold it was and how little he was actually wearing. Most of his warmer things were packed in the black duffle slung over his right shoulder.

He made his way to the front of the red brick building, favoring his left leg just enough to keep the wound from smarting. The bullet hadn’t hit bone or anything too vital, so the doctor said it should heal in about a month or two, and that he was lucky.

He certainly hadn’t  _ felt  _ lucky, bleeding onto the pavement as the sight of Jean’s back filled his vision, getting smaller and smaller in his view as he ran from the scene.

Eren’s jaw clenched, and he shook his head as if to rid himself of the memory. He was sure that murderously angry was not the proper emotion to emit when reuniting with his sister after six months of no contact.

Taking a deep breath, Eren pressed the buzzer with the name  _ Jaeger  _ next to it, written in his old clumsy scrawl on a faded white strip of paper from years ago that made his chest clench with a foreign feeling, one that he decidedly ignored.

It was only seconds later when a calm, “Yes?” crackled out of the speaker. 

The tension in Eren’s shoulders increased at the weary tone of his sister’s voice; and though he had expected as much, he felt no less like scum for it.

Clearing his throat, Eren held the talk button down. “Hey, Mika. It’s me.” Inwardly, he cursed at his meager reply. She deserved more than that; hell, she deserved a lot of things from him that he had yet to deliver on. 

There was no reply, only the sound of the loud buzzer that came from somewhere else this time, signalling his permitted entry. He let himself in, stepping into the apartment building lobby and gladly shutting the door on the cold behind him. 

Eren shuddered, but he couldn’t be sure if it was the sudden change in temperature or the wave of nostalgia that hit him.

Six months had felt longer than he’d thought. The lobby looked much more drab than he remembered, so much so that it was almost painful to look at.  _ Why did we choose these apartments again? These suck ass.  _ Eren thought with a dissatisfied frown.

The walls were beige, the carpet was off-white, and whether that was on purpose or from old age and usage he couldn’t tell. The wall mounted mail-boxes were also beige, and the only thing that looked like it was worth anything was the front desk, made of a deep brown wood and a glossy granite top. 

Eren moved his furrowed gaze to the right, towards the hallway he would have to head down to eventually arrive at his destination, when-

“Eren?”

Eyes slowly widening, he looked up to lock gazes with his sister who had just rounded the corner. 

The first thought that jumped to the front of his mind was _ oh, shit  _ because no sooner had she spotted him than he was being charged at. 

He braced himself, for what he wasn’t sure. A punch, a judo-flip or a roundhouse kick, perhaps a full blown body-slam. Any of them would be rightly deserved, but what he got instead was the tightest embrace he had ever received in his life, and with having Mikasa as a sister for most of that life, that was saying something. 

He let out a little  _ oomph  _ at the force of it, but didn’t otherwise react to it. His arms were trapped beneath hers and slowly losing feeling, so returning the hug was out of the question. 

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, instead. 

His sister smelled like she always did; spices, of some sort, and laundry detergent.  _ Home, _ he thought absently.  _ She smells like home. _

* * *

 

Eren was more surprised than he probably should have been at the new resident of the apartment. 

He evenly met Annie’s unwavering stare from across the table, slouched back in his chair with his arms crossed like a petulant child. Neither of them had taken a bite of the soup that was steadily growing cold on the table. 

He wasn’t particularly upset by the woman’s presence, and like he said before, he supposed he should have expected this. Or, at least considered it. Annie and his sister had been dating for awhile even before he left, though he had only met her a couple of times. 

Before, his sister had always preferred to go and see  _ her _ , rather than bringing her here, so he was partially taken aback that he hadn’t been imprisoned in the blonde’s unfamiliar abode, wherever that might have been. 

That’s where his sister had been the day he left, and assumed that’d be where she was if he ever decided to return; unless they had split, which he thought was more likely. He couldn’t imagine any interaction between them that wasn’t a silent stare off, or perhaps maybe an arm wrestling contest. 

Mikasa’s exasperated sigh sliced through the silence, and Eren glanced away from his own silent stare off with Annie to take in his sister’s irritated expression. 

“You two,  _ honestly _ . You’ve never had problems before. What is the issue now?” She asked, her words directed at them both but her eyes were on Eren, waiting for--no,  _ demanding  _ a response. 

“It’s not my fault,” Eren protested. Annie seemed to have finally grown bored of the whole thing, and was now eating her cold soup. “She’s been giving me this look ever since I walked in, like i’m a piece of artwork in need of judging, yet the most boring thing she’s ever seen.” 

“She is not judging you, Eren.” 

“Yes I am.” 

He raised his eyebrows incredulously and made a gesture towards Annie with his hand as if to say, _ see? _

Mikasa sighed again.

* * *

 

After dinner, which was painfully quiet after that, Eren retreated to his old room to unpack. He had expected it to be left untouched, seeing as the couple shared a room and had no reason to tamper with his, but that was not the case. 

Stuff. Things.  _ Everywhere _ . 

Eren felt his eye twitch at the sight of his room cluttered with boxes, lining each wall of the room and stacked half-way up to the ceiling. Most of the center of the open floor was free of junk, thankfully, but underneath his bed he could swear he spotted a couple hangers and the strap of a bra sticking out. 

With an angry growl he tossed his duffel on the dark blue bedspread and half-stormed half -limped to the closet. He wrenched it open, and only managed to dodge out of the way just in time for several more boxes and other miscellaneous items to tumble out, scattering across the floor.

_ That’s it.  _

“Mikasa!” He shouted, his tone holding no small amount of frustration.

There was muffled speaking, and for a moment he thought he heard what sounded like “...told you he’d throw a fit…” before footsteps made their way towards him. 

His door swung open a moment later, Mikasa standing in the doorway, expression blank. Eren threw his arms up into the air before letting them slap down against his thighs. He had no words for this. 

“What?” She said, as if she couldn’t see exactly  _ what _ .

“What do you mean, what? You turned my room into fucking storage,” Eren snapped, kicking a box of something or other away from his leg with a rattle. “This is my room. It didn’t become anyone else’s just because I left and-” 

“Exactly, Eren,” Mikasa cut him off, her voice cold but her face betraying no emotion. “You  _ left _ . You left, and Annie filled the space. Get over it, because I know that this is going the be the least of your problems for awhile.”

Eren scowled at the floor now. She was right, of course she was. And he had a feeling that the spaces Annie filled in his absence weren’t just the ones in his bedroom. 

But that didn’t mean he had to like it. 

“Whatever, Mikasa. This isn’t my room anymore, this isn’t my home, I get it. I’m an intruder. Wouldn’t be the first time.” Eren kicked more boxes out of his way and sat on the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands tiredly. 

“Eren, I didn’t mean-”

“Just go, Mikasa.” 

It was quiet, and a few seconds later he heard the door click shut. 


	2. When the Days Are Cold, and the Cards All Fold...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (!) Slight anxiety warning for this chapter

Hours later, the sun had fallen from the sky and the moon took it’s place--well, Eren assumed that’s what had happened. It was hard to tell the difference when the only thing visible in the sky was the overcast blanket of rolling clouds. 

He had spent most of his time arranging the damn box maze that was his room now, organizing and shoving most of it into the closet. The rest he shoved under his bed or on the floor at either end of it. 

Being who he was, his guilt about looking through a few of their stupid boxes in his curiosity was less than minimal.

_ Boring, boring, ugh--that smells like cheese. _ Eren sifted through the contents of one of the boxes, finding a couple history books and a roll of discolored gauze that was suspiciously odored.    

Something vibrant caught his eye, and he hesitantly pushed aside the other items to pick up the one shoved towards the bottom. 

It was a plush doll, one with scraggly black yarn hair, a blue printed dress, and a lopsided red bow that was fastened to it’s neck via safety pin. Eren had never seen anything so obviously hand-made in his life. 

“Mikasa, I think your girlfriend is into some weird shit,” Eren mumbled to himself, frowning at what really caught his interest about it. 

Pins, pins, and more pins-wait, is that a nail?-all stuck into the doll’s face and torso, riddling the already tattered toy with holes. And, when he turned it over to inspect the other side-

“What...the hell?” 

A black pentagram was sewn into the back of the doll’s head. 

He dropped the doll back into the box, holding his hands up and shutting his eyes. He counted to ten, opened his eyes and shut the box securely. 

_ I do not have time for this occult shit.  _ Eren picked it up and opened the closet, tossing it in and shutting the door. _ I’ll deal with that another time. Possibly never. Like Mikasa said, this room and Pandora’s fucking boxes are the least of my worries right now.  _

Later that night, Eren refused to believe he heard something rattling in there.

* * *

Come morning, Eren was dead on his feet.

He hadn’t had to wake up before noon in months--dictating your own schedule kind of came with being a miscreant. Therefore, an alarm wasn’t set which resulted in Mikasa banging on his door and informing him that it was ten in the morning, meaning they had to get ready to leave for his P.O. appointment. 

Eren groaned while in the shower, he groaned while brushing his teeth, he groaned  _ loudly  _ when Mikasa gave Annie a peck on the lips goodbye, and finally once more as he banged his ankle bracelet on the car as he lifted his foot to get into the passenger seat. 

Slamming the door shut with an irritated huff, Eren glared out of the window. He ignored his sister as she got into the car, and she peeled out of her spot and eventually the parking garage in silence. 

Every so often, he would catch her casting sidelong glances at him. He knew what she wanted to ask; it was part of why the silence was so thick. 

_ Where have you been? _

_ Why didn’t you call? _

_ What have you been doing? _

_ Why did you go?  _

He could see it all in her eyes, brewing beneath the surface of those dark irises. Eren picked at a loose string on the leg of his black sweatpants, furrowing his eyebrows. He wished he knew what to say to his sister, but there was no way to tell someone you didn’t want to be around them without hurting their feelings, even if his reasoning for wanting distance had nothing to do with Mikasa personally. Not entirely, anyway. 

The reasons for him leaving when he did was an entire list of things he did not want to get into, so instead he focused on his upcoming appointment. 

Eren wondered what his P.O. would be like. Hopefully not too much of a hardass; he’d had a friend once who was on probation, and their officer drug tested them once a week plus surprise visits. They’d been on probation before that, and the P.O. then had let them have a lot of freedom, so Eren assumed that the second time around was purposefully a lot harsher for repeat offenders. 

However, this was Eren’s first time on probation, and he hadn’t done drugs in over a year. Whoever his P.O. was had to take that into consideration and have mercy on him, right? 

* * *

Eren huffed and re-crossed his legs for the tenth time in his seat, partially blaming himself for this situation.

He was sat in a chair across from the P.O. who had driven him before, whose he name he learned was Auruo. Technically, it was Officer Bossard, so of course Eren called him Auruo just to piss him off. 

He still wasn’t Eren’s personal probation officer, but Auruo had told him that he was his ‘babysitter’ until his own was finished with his current client. 

“How much longer?” Eren griped, slouching further in his seat with his hands in his hoodie pockets. 

“As long as it fuckin’ takes. You know, your attitude is being judged here as well, so if you keep acting like a stupid little asshole you’re gonna get written up as medium-risk or worse,” Auruo said, leaning casually against the desk in front of where Eren sat. His smug smirk was starting to grate on Eren’s nerves. 

“That’s rich coming from you. You’re about as pleasant as my stint with appendicitis when I was seventeen; and that dead rodent on top of your head certainly isn’t helping. Jesus, where’d you buy that shit? Trashy Toupees R’ Us?” 

Auruo’s face rapidly turned red from hairline to neck, and Eren was briefly concerned for the man’s blood pressure before he started shouting. 

“You fucker! You can’t speak to me like that,” he grabbed the arms of Eren’s chair and scooted him forward, leaning in to get in his face. “You’re just a criminal! A no good, useless, smart-mouthed piece of-” 

“ _ Auruo _ .” 

Just then, three things happened simultaneously. Auruo’s head jerked up at the sound of the deep, authoritative voice that spoke his name like a command. This resulted in Auruo’s teeth to snap down onto his wagging tongue at the same time Eren looked over to where the voice came from. 

Eren ignored the whining and yelling from Auruo in the background in favor of taking in the sight of the man that had just walked in. 

_ Damn _ , Eren mused, his eyebrows raising.  _ Please tell me that’s my P.O. _

The man leaned casually against the doorframe, fixing Auruo with a stern look from sharp, narrowed gray eyes. His hair was jet black and styled neatly, in such a way that Eren didn’t even mind the middle-part on him. At least he  _ had  _ his hair. His suit was black and fitted, but it was sans a tie and the first two buttons of his white dress shirt were undone. 

When Eren’s roaming eyes made it back to the man’s smooth, sharply angled face, a blank stare was trained steadily on him.  Eren kept his gaze locked with his, a tiny smirk appearing on his lips. The man raised a sleek eyebrow at that before turning his attention back to Auruo, who was holding tissues to his tongue and giving Eren a look like he was the devil incarnate. 

“Mind telling me just what was going on between you two?” The man asked, eyes flickering back to Eren for a moment as a silent invitation to answer the question as well.

_ Wait, he’s asking for my side of the story? _

“He ‘tharted it!” Auruo said abruptly, or attempted to say with a mouth full of tissues as he jabbed a finger at Eren.

“Like hell,” Eren snorted, crossing his arms. “You called me, if I remember right, a ‘stupid little asshole’. I was just defending myself, honest. Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it, old man.” 

Auruo made a strangled noise, but the man who had walked in held up a hand to prevent him from going further. 

“Enough. Auruo, we will discuss this later; is that understood?”

Auruo gulped and nodded, training his eyes on the ground. Eren smirked. 

“As for you,” the man turned to him. He had never seen an expression besides his sister’s that said ‘no nonsense’ as well as his. “I believe we have an appointment. My office; that way.” He pointed Eren in the direction of his office, and Eren couldn’t believe his luck. 

_ Holy shit, this guy really is my P.O.! _ He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he stood, but the man ignored it this time in favor of leading Eren out the door and down the hall to his office.

They entered, and Eren waited for the man to sit before he sat as well. Eren was still grinning when the man looked at him, and he was getting tired of referring to him as ‘the man’ in his head, so he asked, “What’s your name?” 

“Levi. Just Levi, no ‘officer’ or any shit like that. And i’ll be asking the questions from here on, got it?” Levi stated, that eyebrow raised again as if daring him to protest that. 

“Yes sir,” Eren mock saluted, but asked another question anyway. “You guys sure like your middle-parts and swear words around here, don’t you? Not that I can really judge you there. Well, except for the middle-parts. Wait,  _ you’re  _ not wearing a toupee, are you? It doesn’t look like it, but sometimes you just can’t tell-”

“Holy shit,” Levi said incredulously, running a hand through his hair and shooting him a glare, as if to say, _ ‘Does this look like a damn toupee?’ _ “You’re gonna be a barrel of fucking fun, aren’t you?”

Eren struggled not to say  _ bend me over a table and we’ll see _ and instead blinked innocently, still smiling. “No idea what you mean by that.” 

“Sure you don’t,” Levi grumbled, flipping open a manila folder on his desk and examining the contents mutely. Eren took the time to look around his office, seeing as what was in that folder was probably invading his own privacy anyways. 

Levi had several frames scattered around, yet you could tell each of them was placed with purpose, some of them with pictures in them and some of them certificates or awards. In one photo he was seen with a man and a woman, the woman with glasses perched atop her brunette head and leaning onto Levi’s shoulder while smiling hugely and throwing up a peace sign. The man on Levi’s other side was tall and blonde, smiling and looking like just the kind of gentleman that Eren would end up nicking a wallet from. 

With raised eyebrows Eren noticed a photo of Levi in some sort of martial-arts getup, a black belt cinched around his waist and a leg lifted high in the air. 

_ Note to self; do not piss him off to the point of violence. _

He also noticed a cactus sitting on the edge of his desk, a little bow around the tiny pot with a square card attached. “Who gave you a cactus?” Eren asked impulsively. 

He received a sigh through Levi’s nose and a quick glare that wasn’t as scathing as the one he got earlier, but still clearly said,  _ ‘Good god, shut up.’  _

Eren got the message and fell silent, discreetly poking the card on the cactus open as Levi finished up looking over the file. It read,  _ “To my favorite little prick. -Hange.”  _ He didn’t know who Hange was, but he liked them already.

Finally, Levi flipped the file shut, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. It was the exact position Eren had donned earlier, yet Levi made it look much more elegant and professional; regal, somehow.

He simply looked at Eren, to the point where he started to get uncomfortable enough that he said, “What?” 

Eren thought Levi would get angry over him asking another question, but his face remained impassive. “Hm. Nothing. I just thought you’d want to speak, after all.” 

“After all...? What do you mean?” 

“Well, I know how the system works. You’ve been forced to be quiet since you’ve been arrested, having someone else speak for you, negotiate for you, argue in your place. So, given that, and your non-stop chatter from before, i’d assumed a chance to speak was past due.” 

Eren blinked in utter shock, his mouth slightly open. Levi was right, beyond right, and above all he sounded sincere. But now he didn’t know what to say. People tended to assume he was guilty until proven innocent, thus anything he said was invalidated on the spot; so, he stopped even trying to gain respect with his dress or his actions, and just did as he pleased seeing as the result would be the same. 

“I...well, could you tell me what you want to know first?” Eren asked, his words a little sassier than he intended but his tone holding no bite, just honest confusion. He found himself sounding a lot more like the person he thought he’d been, the person he was trying to  _ be  _ six months ago. Innocent, in a word.

“That’s fine. For starters, you should know what my position is in all this. I report to the court on your progress, and on whether or not you’re following the conditions that have been set; although, stay the fuck home and don’t do illegal shit seems pretty simple,” Levi said dryly, and Eren let out a surprised little laugh at the words. “But, i’m also here to help you. I represent you and keep the court off your back while you adjust, and help you adhere to the conditions. Basically, i’m the middle ground between you and the court. In the end, though, it’s you who makes the decisions, and it’ll be you who determines the outcome at the end of the eight months. Does that all make sense?” 

Eren nodded slowly, taking it all in. “Wait, so I really can’t go anywhere but my apartment? Like, at all?” 

Levi rolled his eyes. “That’s generally the idea, seeing as in jail you can’t just leave. But no, that’s not exactly how it works. First of all, the perimeter i’ll set for now around your building will be fifty feet. Exceed that, and your ass is grass, kid. Second, you can go places if i’m informed beforehand. I read that you don’t have a job, but if you did that would be one example. There are other things you could do, but some basis of trust has to be established.” 

Eren huffed, flopping back in his seat. “Damn. There go my plans for world domination.” 

“Can’t say you were off to a great start to begin with.” 

"Got me there,” Eren agreed, before grinning at the man again. “You’re gonna come to my place, right? For check-ups n’ stuff?” 

“Once a month, yes, as well as surprise inspections. You also have to check in with me once a week, by phone or some shit. If you don’t, i’ll be coming for you.” 

Eren’s grin widened. “That doesn’t sound too bad, you coming for me.” 

Levi snorted, but whether he ignored the innuendo or didn’t catch it at all was unclear. Although, Eren was leaning towards the former. He didn’t think there was much this man didn’t catch. “It really is, you little shit. It goes down on your record as a failure to report to your P.O., and the worst is assumed. So don’t get cheeky and just do what you’re supposed to.” 

“Right, right. Whatever you say, you’re the boss. So, I can call you?” 

“I have a direct line to your home phone,” Levi said absently, leaning over and snatching something from a small pile on his desk. “But here’s the number for you to contact me. You were given Auruo’s before, but i’m your personal officer now.” 

Eren reached out and took the card as it was presented to him, purposefully brushing his fingers over Levi’s and waggling his eyebrows once suggestively. Levi’s own eyebrow twitched, but aside from that there was no reaction. _ Eh, i’ll take what I can get. Boy, will I. _

“Awesome. That means I can call you everyday?” 

“Brat, if you harass me, I will end you. I’m a busy man.” 

“What?” Eren whined, furrowing his eyebrows. “This town has, like, five-thousand people in it. The probation office can’t be  _ that  _ busy.”

“For you, it is.” 

“Damn,” Eren cursed again. “So, fifty feet, huh? What happens if I just stick my toe fifty-one feet past my building? Or, like, my whole foot?” 

“You are such a little-”

“Maybe just my tongue?” 

Levi sighed exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “For the love of god, I never should have told you to speak.” 

“Too late now.” 

“I’m aware of that, thank you. Now, let’s get down to business so you and my headache can fucking leave.”

“I thought we just did get down to business.” Eren frowned. 

“We haven’t even gotten to talking about your past yet. I have to determine what your risk factor is.” 

“Don’t you already know--didn’t you already  _ read  _ it all? Why do we have to talk about it?” 

“I don’t know shit, kid. Not until I hear it from you.” 

_ Geez, there he goes again. This guy is just full of surprises. It’s been awhile since i’ve been around authority figures who treat me with any shred of basic human equality or decency. I don’t even know how to handle it anymore. _

“O-Okay, fine, but…” Eren stammered unsurely. Where the hell does one even begin with a past like his?

“Look, just tell me this; do you know that what you did was wrong?” Levi asked, pinning Eren with his gaze. He had a feeling his answer to this question was very important. 

“Yeah, I know that, obviously.” Eren answered truthfully. 

“Well, thank fuck for that. Can you tell me why you did what got you here?”

Now, that was a little harder. “I wasn’t--I wasn’t actually going to shoot anyone. I mean, the gun was empty; that was in the report, right? I wouldn’t shoot someone innocent, I  _ wouldn’t _ , I was just-” Eren cut off, subconsciously rubbing at his injured left leg as his breathing picked up. What if Levi thought he was a killer? His record from when he was a minor was expunged, right? This is his first time being caught for something this serious as an adult, it’s not like he knows-

“Eren, hey. Calm down, alright? Is your wound hurting you? Do you need water?” Levi asked suddenly, cutting off his inner tirade. There was concern in his voice as he used Eren’s name for the first time, and Eren looked up to meet the worried gaze directed at him. There was a promise of gentleness in the man’s eyes, and Eren got the feeling it wasn’t something people often saw. It reminded him of when he had once heard a lion roar at the zoo, and everyone rushed to film it, or catch a glimpse of it. They all knew it could do it, so the capability itself wasn’t shocking; but rather, the  _ rarity  _ of it occurring. As it turned out, the lion was just yawning quite loudly, and was supremely unconcerned at the awe surrounding it.

The rubbing stopped, and Eren furrowed his eyebrows. “N-No, no, i’m fine, I …” 

“It’s alright, we don’t have to talk about it anymore if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Eren swallowed audibly and nodded. He would say he dodged a bullet there, but that would probably be tasteless, even just in his thoughts.

“What about your relationship with your sister? Are things strained between you two?” Levi moved on, switching topic quickly and easily.

“I guess you could say that. She…” Eren trailed off, finding his bearings. “She worries about me, but with good cause. I haven’t given her many reasons to trust me.” 

Levi wrote something down on a little notepad, to which Eren narrowed his eyes. He leaned forward, trying to see what was being written when the pad was flipped over on the desk with a slap. 

Eren sat back, grinning sheepishly. 

Levi just shook his head. “Nosy brat. Okay, final question, and we can be done. That sound good?” 

“Yeah--wait, was that the final question?” 

“Fuck’s sake,  _ no _ , that wasn’t the final question. Jesus. Lastly, do you feel any urges to go and repeat your crimes? Any desires to run off again, cut off the bracelet, et cetera?” 

Urges? He said it like a life of crime was an addiction. Although, in some respects, Eren supposed it was. Either way, the answer-or rather, the lie-was simple. “No. No, I don’t.” 

 

After that, the meeting was fairly uncomplicated. Some paperwork confirmation, addresses and whatnot. As Levi escorted him out the door, he realized now that he was paying attention that the hallway was actually pretty lengthy, and lined with other offices along the way. He caught the names  _ Ral  _ and  _ Jinn  _ on nameplates before arriving at  _ Bossard  _ once more.

Eren caught Auruo’s eye as they walked in, grinned devilishly, and stuck out his tongue. The man’s face turned that same brilliant shade of red as earlier, but he and Levi were out the other door to the lobby before anything could be said or lisped at him.

Just as Eren gave a half-wave to Levi and was about to signal his sister over from where she sat in the waiting room, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned and looked down, meeting Levi’s stern gaze in surprise. “Um…” 

“Don’t do anything stupid, kid. I mean it.” 

Eren blinked, momentarily startled once again, before nodding slowly. Levi looked into his eyes for a moment before giving a single nod in return, apparently satisfied with whatever he saw. He then released his arm and disappeared back where they came from in the same breath.

_ What is with that guy? Man, he’s intense. _

“Eren? Are you finished?” Mikasa said from a few feet away, gathering her coat up into her arms as she looked over at him. 

“Yeah. Let’s go.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I said that I love Levi? His character is just...Isayama, please marry me. Levi came from your loins. Thanks for reading, feed me with comments so I can grow strong one day


	3. Ain't It Fun...

They arrived back at the apartment some time later, both of them quiet as they stepped inside. Eren shook out his shoulders and hands from the cold, blowing air out from closed lips so they flapped together. Mikasa shot him a mildly disturbed look at the noise before picking up a piece of paper on the table. 

“Annie’s gone to the store to pick up some things for dinner tonight.” 

Eren shrugged off his jacket, tossing it onto the back of the couch and flopping down onto the cushions. “Great. And I should care, why?” 

“Dinner involves you as well now, Eren. Eating is why.” 

“Y’know, I  _ could  _ just not eat.”

“You will eat, Eren. Whether you like it or not, I won’t allow you to neglect yourself. You don’t look healthy as it is.” 

Eren glared at his sister, who glared much more impressively back. Finally, he huffed a nearly inaudible, “Whatever,” grabbed the remote, and flicked on the TV. 

Ever since he was younger, Mikasa had always put his best interests in mind. Even if he was against himself, she wouldn’t be. She’d do whatever it took to keep him on the straight and narrow, healthy and happy. 

The only thing he could admit to being on that list, in the end, was narrow. He really had lost a bit of weight in the past few months. Not that he had meant to; eating was one of his favorite pastimes. It was just that stealing as his source of income for anything substantial left him with a pretty sporadic diet. 

“Now, Paula, how ever did you make these  _ delicious  _ bacon stuffed mushroom-”

Cooking show. Ugh.  _ Click _ . 

Talk show.  _ Click _ . Home makeover show.  _ Click _ . Crime show. Hesitate. Hear Mikasa drop something in the kitchen.  _ Click _ .

When had channel surfing become so dissatisfying? 

Eren got the sudden feeling that house arrest was going to be more of a hurdle than he anticipated.

* * *

“Fuck!” Eren shouted angrily, jamming his thumbs against the buttons of his PSP violently. “C’mon, c’mon--shit, damn it!”

“Eren, you’ve been playing that for hours now; don’t you think it’s time to give the zombies or whatever a break?”

Eren glared at his sister from his position on the couch the next day, spread lazily across it and electing to play videogames after completely giving up on television once again. “They’re not just zombies, Mikasa. They’re  _ Nazi  _ zombies. You wouldn’t understand.” 

“I wish you would at least do something productive. Your mind and body will waste away like that,” Mikasa sighed, turning on her heel and leaving the room without giving him a chance to retort.

“Your mind and body will waste away like that,” Eren mocked in a purposefully poor imitation of his sister’s deep voice. “Your  _ face  _ will waste away.” He grumbled childishly, resuming his war on the Nazi zombies. 

“Agh, shit!” 

* * *

Later on, he wished he had listened to his sister.

He found himself in that general position a lot, but this time he was especially regretful as he stared at the sufficiently broken PSP sticking out of the wall at an awkward angle, what was visible of the screen black and riddled with cracks.

It was not Mikasa but Annie, thankfully(?) enough, who found him standing there and staring at, or rather  _ mourning  _ his dead gaming device. 

“Hn. That’s impressive,” she said simply, coming to stand next to him with her arms crossed.

Eren bit his lower lip, worrying the skin there between his teeth anxiously. “It’s devastating, that’s what it is. I’ve made a terrible mistake.” 

“I figured you’d be used to those by now.” 

“Oh, hardy fucking ha--wait, you’re not pissed at me for putting a hole in the wall?”

Annie was still regarding the PSP he had thrown like a ninja star at the wall when he looked over to see her shrug casually. “No, not really. Besides, Mikasa will likely be angry enough for three people.”

Eren groaned. “She’s going to flay me alive. When I die, all my shit goes to my hot P.O., alright? If she kills me, Mikasa gets nothing.” 

Annie finally looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Your P.O. is hot?” 

Eren nodded, masking his surprise at the easy flow of the conversation in comparison to their previous interaction. “Like the metal part of a seatbelt in a parked car during the summer.” 

“That is quite hot.” 

“I know, right? He’s, like, barely taller than you, but I don’t judge. The man’s got presence.”

“Maybe you and your sister just have kinks for short, authoritative people.” Annie smirked.

“I do not,” Eren protested. 

“Neither do I, for that matter.” 

Eren whipped around to face Mikasa behind them, returning Annie’s amused smirk.

“Hoh? Do I have something to be worried about, then?” Annie challenged, stepping up to Mikasa as her eyes flickered to his sister’s lips.  _ Oh, no. No, no no.  _

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say that. I may not have a short kink, but there are some other kinks we could explore…” Mikasa trailed off, running her fingers up Annie’s right arm, as the blonde’s left came to rest on the raven haired woman’s hip. 

Fighting the urge to dry-heave, Eren began creeping out of the room, hoping Annie would be distracting enough (cue shudder) to his sister that she wouldn’t notice his blunder. 

He had almost made it out of the room. Almost. 

“You’ll be patching that hole, Eren. Tonight; plaster’s in the storage clos--er,  _ your  _ closet.”

_ Oh, hell.  _

* * *

Eren ran his hands through his shampoo soaked hair the following morning, sighing contentedly as the stream of hot water cascaded down his chest. He had patched that damn hole last night, but ended up stowing his PSP in a drawer. He just couldn’t find it in himself to throw it away; maybe he could fix it somehow.

Yeah, right. That was like saying he’d actually have his life together by the time this strange, eight month long hell was over. He and his PSP were screwed, but at least the gaming system had at least one person who hadn’t given up on it.

Now thoroughly irritated by the direction his thoughts had taken, Eren scrubbed the last of the shampoo out of his hair. Suddenly, he shivered lightly, feeling a small breeze at the back of his thighs.

Making a sound of confusion and furrowing his eyebrows, Eren carefully rubbed his eyes free of water and turned around. 

Nothing. 

He sighed, shutting off the water and about to step out when he felt it again. It was light, and brief, but it was still a breeze in his nice warm shower and he wanted to know where the hell it was coming from.

Exasperated, he turned and got on his knees in the tub, this time feeling the breeze on his collarbones. Something dark and circular caught his eye on the wet tile wall in front of him, so he leaned forward to inspect more closely. Is that--? 

_ A hole? A fucking hole in the shower wall? Great. _ Eren squinted one eye and stuck the other in front of it, trying to see inside.  _ Why the hell is there a breeze coming from it? Just how deep does this thing go?  _

Eren peered into it, expecting to see insulation, or two-by-fours, or whatever else you found inside of walls. 

The last thing he expected to see was another eye, staring right back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment you fucks...please


	4. I Said, Don't You Know (You Said, You Don't Know)

“Son of a bitch!” Eren shouted, leaping away from the hole and tumbling over the side of the tub. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed his towel, feeling shudders of disgust run down his spine.  _ Was that person just--have they been peeping on us in the shower?! _

“Mikasa! Mikasaaaa!” Eren called, tying his towel around his waist securely and wrenching open the bathroom door. He limped out, hair dripping and feet sliding on the hardwood. He had to catch himself on the walls a few times before making it down the hall to his sister’s room. 

He barely had time to pound on the door and call her name again when the door opened and she stood there in nothing but a sports bra and loose shorts. Her expression was vaguely annoyed, but fortunately there were flashes of concern there as well. 

“What is it, Eren? You’re being awfully loud.”

“Th-There’s--in the shower, an eye, and a hole, and--and--” Eren sputtered and pointed, unsuccessfully trying to get his message across through his anger when they heard banging on the front door. 

He jerked his head in that direction, instinctively grabbing his sister’s arm and clenching his jaw agitatedly. 

_ Ten fucking guesses as to who that is! They’ve come to silence me, I know it-- _

“Eren.” Mikasa said, putting her hand over his. He looked down at the tone of her voice, and realized how tightly he had been gripping her. He release his hold, but glared down the hallway when the banging stopped and started up again, more fervently this time. 

“What is going on? Who is at the door?” Annie asked, appearing beside Mikasa dressed in loose sweats and a tank-top, her hair mussed to high heaven. 

“Don’t answer the door. Call the police or something, i’m serious.” 

Mikasa gave him an incredulous look. “ _ You’re _ telling me to call the police? Something big must be going on.” 

“ _ Yes _ , that’s what i’ve been--oh! I know, i’ll call Levi! He’ll come and get rid of the hole pervert.” Eren nodded decisively, abruptly tugging his reluctant sister along towards the phone as the door banging continued. 

“Wait, hole pervert? Eren, i’m going to answer the door. You’re being ridiculous--” 

“Who are you?” 

They both froze and looked towards the door, which Annie had apparently slipped away to answer. Well, Eren froze and looked on in horror while Mikasa just glanced impassively. Eren begun to make wild hand gestures to Annie, trying to say  _ no, this is terrible, he’s gonna kill us all why would you do that  _ and so on and so forth. 

He was marvelously ignored, as expected. 

Also, the tables turned as Mikasa began to drag him to the front door, much more successfully than he had done to her. He struggled, holding his towel with one hand and leaning all his weight backwards against her grip, her hold being the only thing keeping him from falling to the floor, but it had no effect.  _ As expected.  _

Mikasa stood beside Annie at the door, her hand an iron cuff on Eren’s wrist as he hid behind said door, only willing to lean his head around the edge to see who it was. 

Eren nearly dropped his towel in shock as he locked gazes with a pair of rightfully annoyed, flinty gray eyes.

“L-Levi?! What are you doing here?” Eren stammered, utterly shocked. He fully expected their friendly neighboring pervert to be standing there, breathing heavily with knife in hand and eyes glinting with unholy purpose.

“...Surprise inspections, remember? And once again, I find myself asking just what the hell was going on before I got here?” 

Eren shifted his glance to Mikasa and Annie, noting the blank looks they were giving his probation officer, identical to the one he was receiving from Levi at the same time.  _ Oh Jesus, here we go.  _

“There was a hole invader.” Eren said in the simplest word choice he could manage. Possibly not the best word usage, in retrospect, judging by the stricken expression on Levi’s face. 

“A  _ what _ ?”

“Eren, perhaps you should save this conversation for when you’re decent,” Mikasa interrupted. Eren blinked, remembering that he was standing there, hidden behind their flimsy door, looking the way he did when he first entered the world. “Why don’t you go dress, and i’ll invite this one inside.” It was worded like a suggestion, but certainly wasn’t spoken like one.

“Oh yeah, right. Er, just make yourself at home I guess?” He met Levi’s irritated gaze with a brief, sheepish grin before tightening his towel and hurrying off to his room. 

He dried himself and dressed quickly into loose black slouch pants and a warm gray sweater that hung loosely off his shoulders. He was wary of leaving Levi in there alone with the women for too long. They were the three most intense people he’d ever met; it was like sticking a few alpha wolves in a cage together.

Not that he  _ himself  _ wasn’t intense, but he felt it was different. If Eren was the uncontrollable chaos of a storm, they were the precise, deadly strikes of lightning that accompanied him.

Or maybe he was just using too many metaphors and being dramatic because his nerves were getting to him. Either way. 

He wandered back into the living room, glad that he had mastered the art of a blase countenance, real or fake. He noted that his sister had made good on her word to invite Levi inside, although she and Annie were luckily nowhere to be seen. 

Levi sat stiffly on their old brown couch, his eyes slowly examining the entire expanse of what was visible to him in the room, a green folder tucked under his arm. Eren found that ‘alert’ was an oddly good look on the man. Then again, he couldn’t imagine what  _ wouldn’t  _ be.

When he begun to imagine things that Levi would look good  _ without _ , instead, he knew it was time to sit down and shut off that particular thought train before it went too far off track to come back from. 

He plopped down next to Levi with a sigh, sporting an easy grin when steely eyes snapped to acknowledge his presence immediately. The sunlight shone through the drapes of the window behind the couch, reflecting off of Levi’s face in such a way that Eren thought there must be a god listening to the gays somewhere.  _ Wait, his eyes are gray, right? Or are they an extremely light blue? Maybe silver? Lemme just--  _

“Oi, kid. Did no one ever teach you the concept of personal space?” 

_ What? Personal space? I’m n--oh.  _ Eren realized with a start that he had been leaning closer and closer subconsciously, and found himself directly in front of Levi’s scowling face. He lurched back immediately, the earlier mental comparison of the man to a lightning strike surfacing at Levi’s expression.

“S-Sorry, sorry! I just kind of spaced out there for a second. Sorry,” he repeated, running his hand through his damp, dark brown locks nervously. Levi’s eyes followed the movement for half a second before snapping back to Eren’s face. Thinking that even that small movement had somehow annoyed the man, Eren dropped his arm and cleared his throat. “So, uh...hello? How’s it going?” 

Levi regarded his question seemingly impassively, but Eren could swear that he saw the man’s lips twitch ever so slightly before responding. “This isn’t a social visit. I’m here to invade your privacy and raid your panty drawer, not chat.” 

“Ah, yeah, of course…” Eren trailed off, mouth turning down in confusion. Panty drawer? He was about to voice his opinion on said phrase along with Levi’s inability to at least say ‘Fine,’ when a loud thud was heard coming from down the hall. 

Their eyes locked together in an instant. “What was that?” Levi asked suspiciously. 

“Oh, my god. I bet it was the hole pervert!” Eren exclaimed, jumping to his feet. 

“Excuse me?” 

“It’s what I was trying to tell you before! Seriously, Levi, you’ve got to come inspect this.” Eren said, pointing down the hall animatedly. 

Levi heaved a sigh and set his folder down on the cushion before standing. Eren waited for him to go towards the hall first so he could follow behind, ignoring the snort he got for his actions. Given the height difference, Eren was easily able to see over the man’s head in front of them, trying not to snicker inappropriately while imagining the reaction he would get if he mentioned that. 

“Bathroom?” Levi asked, looking back at Eren and gesturing to a door on his left. Eren nodded, biting his lower lip apprehensively. The light was still on from when Eren had rushed out, so without grandeur Levi stepped inside. 

“......”

“I don’t see shit; although, that’s probably a good thing.” 

“That’s cause you’re not looking!” Eren said frustratedly, shoving past Levi and thrusting a finger at the hole in the shower. “See?” 

Levi narrowed his eyes at him, then shoved Eren out of the way much less gently and squatted carefully to get a better look. Eren nearly facepalmed when Levi said simply, “It’s a hole.” 

“ _ Yes _ , it’s a hole! A hole that I saw an eye peeking at my junk through!” 

Levi stood, smirking amusedly. “‘Peeking at your junk?’ What makes you think anybody wants to--or even  _ can-- _ see it?” 

Eren blushed. “Hi-fucking-larious. So what are you going to do about it? You’re an officer of the law;  _ my  _ officer. The safety of my naked body is in your hands.” 

Levi pursed his lips, but the look on his face made Eren think he was fighting a smile. “ _ Your _ officer, huh kid? Tell you what; go get some plaster, and i’ll fill the hole to your heart’s content.” 

Eren bit back his comment about filling holes and huffed, unsatisfied. “But they’re still  _ there _ . Right next door. What do I do with that?” 

“Nothing; that’s  _ my  _ job. If you’re really worried about it, I’ll look into it for you. Alright?”

“You...you’d really do that?”

Levi looked away from Eren’s awed gaze. “Don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s nothing. Now, can I do my fucking job, or are there any other holes you’d like me to inspect?” 

Eren’s eyes widened and he grinned coyly at the same time realization dawned in Levi’s eyes. “Well, if you insist, Levi. I mean, this is all rather sudd-” 

“Okay, shut the fuck up starting there. I may have walked right into that shit but that doesn’t mean I have to let it continue.” 

Eren laughed out loud at that, and continued to laugh down the hall following Levi’s scoffing figure and clutching his stomach. He leaned against the wall when they got to the living room, wiping at his eyes and smiling widely, catching his breath as Levi sat on the couch and shot him an annoyed look before snatching up his folder.

It was then that his sister and Annie walked back into the room, looking a tad more presentable and carrying four mugs of coffee, two each. Eren sat next to Levi as their drinks were set in front of them, and he noticed Levi’s obviously had cream in it.  _ Must have told them how he likes his coffee while I got dressed _ , Eren mused, taking a sip of his own black. 

Levi said his thank yous for the coffee before grimacing at Eren. “You like your coffee black? Disgusting, but figures. And did you even say thank you? Rude ass brat.” 

Eren blanched at the man from over the top of his mug. “What are you, my nagging housewife?” 

“It’s called fucking manners. I know you have them. Say thank you and put them to use.” 

Eren sniffed indignantly, eyes downcast as he mumbled a thanks to his sister and Annie, who had been watching the exchange in bemused silence. 

Levi nodded in satisfaction. “Good.”

“And I never asked for your opinion on my coffee.” Eren said, just to say it.

“Well, you got it anyway, didn’t you?” 

“Ugh, well--well so  _ what  _ if I like things a little more bitter than others?” 

Their eyes met, the unspoken implications of Eren’s words hanging in the air. 

“You’re exhausting to deal with. You know that, right?” Levi commented nonchalantly, flipping open his green folder and averting his gaze.

Eren lowered his eyebrows at that as Mikasa snorted. “Anyway, why are you doing a surprise inspection when I haven’t had my first monthly visit yet? Hell, I haven’t even had time to call.”

Levi’s eyes roamed the room quickly before he clicked his pen and wrote something down, taking his sweet time to answer much to Eren’s irritation. “That’s exactly it. You haven’t had time to do anything, and here you are, surprised. Genius, I know. Towards the end of your sentence there will be fewer and fewer surprise inspections.”

“Should you really be telling him that?” Annie spoke this time, and Eren glanced over in surprise, having forgotten she and his sister were still there.

“Why not? If all goes well, he’ll be a law abiding, god fearing little angel in eight months time.” 

“I don’t believe in god,” Eren supplied helpfully. 

“Neither do I,” Levi said simply, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“You have that much faith in Eren?” Mikasa asked, her gaze focused and unwavering on Levi. 

Levi met her stare evenly, seemingly contemplating something, before looking over at Eren who fidgeted under the careful scrutiny. He wished for the life of him that he was able to decipher even a sliver of the man’s thoughts, but his face betrayed nothing.

“I do,” he said, finally freeing a now shell-shocked Eren from his gaze. “Anyone is as capable of doing good as they are of doing bad. All it takes is the right push.” 

Eren blinked, looking from his sister and Annie who looked satisfied and even approving, to Levi, who looked as though he hadn’t just made Eren’s chest worryingly tight. He hadn’t even said much, but it was just...enough. 

“Levi…”

“The right push to the  _ floor _ , I think, will be good.” Mikasa stated before taking a calm sip of her own coffee. 

“Moment ruined, that--that’s really great. Thanks, Mika.” Eren huffed, flopping back against the couch and crossing his arms frustratedly. 

He would’ve been more upset, had he not caught the ghost of a smile lingering on Levi’s lips.

 

* * *

 

“When you said you were here to raid my panty drawer, I seriously thought you were joking.”

Eren’s eye twitched as Levi unfolded, checked, and refolded pair after pair of boxer-briefs and socks. 

“Hn? Of course I wasn’t. You’d be surprised at some of the places i’ve found certain...things.” 

“I don’t think I would. Anyway, you took an hour just searching the front room and kitchen; how long do these inspections usually take?” Eren asked, sitting cross legged on his bed and watching Levi with curious eyes. 

Levi exhaled through his nose, shutting the drawer with his fingertips. “That depends.”

“On?” 

“Things.” 

“Very specific, Levi.”

“You wouldn’t understand the specifics, kid. But first inspections, especially my own, are always very thorough,” Levi muttered, his hand now cocked on his hip as he turned to look at Eren. 

For some reason, Eren found himself fighting a blush and wondering how the man could keep such intense eye contact without so much as a flicker of emotion. 

With a barely there huff, Levi broke his stare and made his way over to the closet, lacing his fingers together and cracking his knuckles by pushing them outwards. Eren chose to ignore the odd spark of attraction he felt at the action in favor of speaking. 

“I should say now that I take responsibility for nothing in those boxes,” Eren commented, leaning forward slightly from his perch on the bed as Levi opened the closet door. 

“Mm,” Levi grunted blankly as he stared at the pile of boxes packed in almost to ceiling height. “Who needs this much shit?” 

“Lesbians, apparently.” Eren replied.

Levi shot him an unamused look before standing on his tip toes to grab the highest box, electing not to play Jenga with the stack. Eren bit his lip as Levi turned around, immediately receiving a steely scowl. 

“Wipe that look off your face, you shit.” Levi snapped as he set the box on the floor and squatted beside it.

“Wha-? I  _ wasn’t  _ making a face. I was deciding that watching was probably safer than trying to help you r-reach it.” Eren struggled not to laugh at the end as he quickly earned another glare. 

For another half-hour Eren watched Levi meticulously go through every box and bin, until Levi got to one that Eren begrudgingly recognized. 

“Ah, that’s-” Too late. 

Levi’s face was expressionless as he pulled the little voodoo doll out of the box, Eren cringing as he turned it over to inspect the satanic symbol on the back of it’s head. 

“Eren.”

“...Yes?” He replied hesitantly. 

“Mind telling me what fresh  _ hell  _ this is?” 

“I, uh-well, this sounds cliche and guilty but really, it’s not mine,” Eren said hastily, watching Levi carefully place the doll back into the box. Then, slowly, he looked at Eren and cast him an insincere, tight lipped,  _ terrifying  _ smile. 

“Have I said that you’re gonna be just so fucking  _ fun  _ to deal with already?” 

Eren swallowed harshly. “Y-You might have mentioned something like that, I think.” 

Levi stared at him through narrowed eyes before shutting the box back up almost robotically. “I’m going to pretend that that satanic raggedy ann doll is part of your sister’s religion, and therefore a personal item. Because if that’s what you do in your down time I can’t honestly say I won’t end up throwing bibles at you everytime you’re near.” 

“I said it wasn’t mine!” Eren exclaimed, in a tissy. “I just haven’t had the courage to ask what the hell that was so-” 

“Burn it.” 

“-I will  _ not _ . What if it’s Annie’s dead satan worshipping grandmother’s and that’s the only memento she has left?” 

“Burn it in front of her. On a stick.” 

“Jesus,” Eren said, looking both amused and horrified at the proposition. 

Levi snorted and picked up the box, putting it in closet as well the rest of them and managing to stack them in a way that Eren had more room than when he started. 

“How--did you play Tetris a lot as a child? I feel like you would have.” 

“Kid, if you knew my childhood you wouldn’t put  _ Tetris  _ and I in the same sentence.”  

Sensing a touchy subject there, Eren sidestepped. “So, you’re just naturally better than me at--well, everything so far.” 

“Naturally.” 

“ _ Rude _ .” 

Levi smirked a bit at that before turning towards the open door of his bedroom. “Now, i’m going to go have a word with your sister and Annie, and take a quick peek through their room as well. You, stay put.” 

Eren frowned as Levi left, fighting the urge to say ‘Yes, master,’ sarcastically and push the man further before he knew how much he could get away with. Although, despite the man’s strict demeanor, seemed like quite a bit. 

Within ten minutes, Eren had just started to contemplate going and bothering Levi anyway when the man appeared back at the doorway, coat on and folder in hand. 

“Alright, the inspection is finished. I’m leaving.” 

Eren sputtered as Levi turned on his heel and practically sped from sight, Eren hopping up and scrambling after him. “Wait, wait, that’s it?!” 

Levi turned around again just as he caught up to him, ending up in Eren’s face. “I spent nearly two hours here. What’s ‘it’?” 

“I just--it took you less than ten minutes to invade my sister’s privacy! Why the difference between mine and hers?” 

“No, I  _ just  _ said I spent nearly two hours here. This whole place is  _ her privacy _ . Unless you think you’re entitled to any part of it, as you are now?” 

Eren flinched at that, looking down at the floor. “No…” 

“I’m also going to point out that she didn’t have nearly half as much shit in her bedroom.”

“That’s because she shoved it all into mine!” Eren said with renewed, indignant vigor.

“Either way, the facts are the facts, and i’m leaving. Stay out of trouble, or i’ll be forced to come over here and shove my boot up your ass, and then i’m out of a boot and you’re no longer a virgin.” 

Eren’s jaw dropped, and he thought Levi looked oddly satisfied by that before he finally,  _ finally  _ left, the door shutting with a thud behind him. 

Shuffling over to the couch, Eren flopped down on top of it with a weary sigh. 

Yeah, this house arrest thing was definitely going to be more of a hurdle than he thought. Now, if he got to climb the odd hurdle that was  _ Levi  _ in the process, well, maybe it would turn out to be worth it. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUP FOOLS? Who is fuckin READY for halloween? This is the only time of year my depression just slightly abates cause FUCK YEAH halloween. Halloween is the aesthetic of my life, man. Yeah.   
> COMMENT YOUR THOUGHTS? On halloween or, yknow, the chapter.   
> *whispers halloween as an afterthought*


	5. Will You Be My Nightingale (Sing To Me, I Know You're There)

Over the next week, Eren had called Levi once, it had lasted twenty seconds, and that was that. 

Eren was  _ frustrated _ . In more ways than he’d like to admit. 

He was contemplating giving a surprise inspection of his own, if not to see Levi than at least to get out of the house just once. He hadn’t realized how stir crazy he could get until he was reminded of what it was like to be stuffed up with his sister in this house again, even worse now with the addition of Annie looming about. 

It wasn’t that he minded them as people, honestly. But when they were the only the only people he had contact with, he minded. He minded quite a fucking bit. His skin felt itchy with the need to go do something, talk to  _ someone _ , anything. 

There were walls on the damn  _ walls  _ that he wasn’t allowed to go out of, and if he could crawl out of his own skin at this point he wouldn’t put it past himself do so. At night, it begun to affect his sleep, doing nothing. With a fifty foot parameter, there wasn’t much exercising he could do. Sit ups and push ups were his limits, seeing as Annie had forbade him from using her portable pull up bar. 

“It’s not conditioned to Jaegers, unfortunately,” She had said drolly, casting Mikasa a look. 

“You break a pull up bar once, and never hear the end of it.” Mikasa muttered, doing the closest thing Eren had ever seen her do to a pout.

And that was that. 

See? Complete and utter  _ frustration _ .

It was times like this Eren regretted cutting off all contact with his friends--the ones he had had for so long before he ran off half a year ago. They had some good times--great, he’d even say. But then his mother, and then his  _ father _ , and then he met Jean and it was like a tornado had whirled into his stagnant ass life, stirring up the hurricane he had no idea was inside of him and  _ fuck  _ why did he have to--

Eren slapped his hands onto his face, his breathing heavy. “Stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking…” He repeated like a mantra over and over, bringing his knees up to his chest as he rocked back and forth on his bed, shoving the heels of his palms deeper into his eye sockets as if that could possibly stop the tears that stubbornly shoved their way down his cheeks and over his lips, now tasting of salt and bad decisions when he licked them and he wished god he  _ wished  _ he knew how to deal with whatever was happening to him. 

His chest grew tight, and he clutched at the fabric of his sweatshirt, throwing himself sideways onto the bed and curling into a ball, the other hand sliding to grip at his hair. He trembled and shook, silent sobs wracking his body violently as he tucked into himself as much as he could, however he could, mentally or physically.

Moments passed and Eren thought his chest would cave in, like he always did, with the weight that had pressed upon it when it stopped as suddenly as it had started. Head pounding, Eren unclenched his hands and shakily tucked them under his chin, sniffling as the tears rolled sideways across his face and gradually soaked his pillow.

And that was how Mikasa had found him and hour later, unconscious like the dead and curled into a fetal position with dried tear tracks crusting on his face, the skin around his eyes red and swollen. Mikasa furrowed her eyebrows as pain stung her chest, feeling her lips tremble. 

She reached down and ran a hand through unruly brown locks, letting her fingers drift and gently trace the bags under her brother’s eyes. Kneeling, she wrapped her arms around Eren’s sleeping form as tightly as she dared, not wanting to wake him when he already looked exhausted. 

After leaving a featherlight kiss between his eyebrows, Mikasa turned around to find Annie silently watching, waiting, and was quickly but warmly accepted into a tight, understanding embrace. 

“I don’t know how to help him,” Mikasa admitted quietly, her voice strained and tight with unshed tears. 

“You already are helping him. What happens next is up to Eren,” Annie soothed, equally hushed. 

“Annie...that’s what i’m afraid of." 

* * *

 

_ Thud. _

Eren stirred. 

_ Thud, clunk. _

“Mmgh,” Eren grumbled, rubbing the grit out of his aching eyes and blinking them open slowly. He stared into the darkness of his room for a moment, letting himself adjust when another mysterious  _ cerchunk  _ sounded out, coming from the wall opposite his door. 

Eren sat up, furrowing his eyebrows and narrowing his tired eyes. 

_ Rattle, clank.  _

“Okay, that’s it,” Eren mumbled frustratedly and flung the covers off of his legs.  _ What the hell could possibly be rattling and clanking around in the apartment at _ -Eren squinted at the red numbers on his alarm clock- _ 3:36 in the morning _ ?

_ Scraaaaape _ .

Eren’s head twitched to the right, and he stood from the bed and tip-toed in that direction. The noise, he noticed this time, had come from the furthermost right wall of the apartment. That was exactly where the person who had been peeping on him would live. 

But what the hell could they be doing? It sounded suspiciously like chains dragging across the floor, sending chills running down Eren’s spine. Gently, he pressed his ear against the wall, eyes wide and heart thumping loud in the heavy silence of the room when-

_ BANG _ ! 

“Gah!” Eren leapt back, jumping onto his bed and scrambling against the wall, breathing heavily.  _ What the actual fuck was that?! And how is no one else living in this damn apartment hearing this?  _

Eren took one deep breath before he was out of his bed again, ignoring the hairs standing up on his neck and arms as he turned his back on the darkness of his room to leave it. Feeling his way down the hall and into the kitchen, Eren’s shaking fingers roamed the counter until they found the house phone. 

Almost automatically he dialed Levi’s number, even just the ringing calming him down a bit. Right when he thought he was for sure going to get the voicemail, because as he gained a bit of clarity he realized no  _ way would Levi be in his office right now let alone awake jesus christ why am I so stupid- _ “...Hello? Shit, I fell asleep at my desk again. Petra’s going to lecture me. Oi, who’s there?” 

“Levi? It’s...it’s Eren.” 

“...Jaeger?” Levi asked, his voice sounding huskier than usual with a coat of sleep. “Is something wrong?” Already he was sounding more alert, and the sound of papers ruffling was heard in the background. 

“Yes-or, no, I mean-look, I know this sounds insane but I had to call because there  _ is  _ no one else and I’m  _ hearing  _ things, loud things from that apartment next door,” Eren stage whispered, leaning in close and clutching the phone, glancing warily at the pitch black hallway as if somehow something from next door was going to emerge from the darkness of the apartment. 

On the other end, Levi sighed, long and heavy, and Eren was peeved that the man already wasn’t taking this seriously. 

“About that. I looked into it like I said I would, and…” 

“And what? Are they on the registry or something? Oh, god, what if it’s-” 

“No, Eren, no. ‘They’ aren’t anything. No one lives there. No one  _ has  _ lived there for six years.” 

Eren fell silent, eyes widening. Nobody…? That can’t be right. He knew he had heard those things, not five minutes ago! There had been an actual eye staring right at him in his bathroom, there was no way he could have  _ imagined  _ that. 

Nor could he be currently imagining the indescribable feeling in the pit of his stomach, or the way his hairs were standing on end almost all over his body.

“But something is  _ wrong _ ,” Eren persisted, his voice cracking slightly. “Levi, something’s wrong.”

“Tell me what’s wrong, Eren,” Levi pressed gently. 

“I don’t know! I just get this feeling, like someone is watching me, although I know that’s impossible, and i’m hearing these noises like there’s construction going on, yet no one else seems to hear it? But it’s so  _ loud _ , I can’t even sleep and it’s just  _ not right _ -”

“Eren, Eren, listen to me. Calm down, okay? Everything’s alright, just listen to my voice. Can you do that for me?” 

Eren felt out of breath, and it was only then that he realized his eyes were stinging and he was on the verge of hyperventilating. “I-I think so, I don’t know, I-”

“It’s okay, just breathe. Three seconds on intake, through your nose, and seven out through your mouth. Alright? You’re fine, and everything’s fine. I’m right here. Your sister is in the next room. We’ll figure this out in the morning.” 

Eren did as was told, letting his eyes shut and focusing on the sound of Levi’s voice. 

“Get your stuff and sleep on the couch with the TV on tonight. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.” 

“O-Okay.” 

Levi sighed again, but it sounded relieved this time, the exhaustion and irritation absent from it. “Good.” 

“Levi?” Eren asked hesitantly.

“Hm?” 

“Thank you.” 

“...No problem, kid.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby back baby back baby back baby back RIBS  
> comment? make my day? :D


	6. Give Me Reason To Believe (That You Would Do The Same For Me)

The next morning, Eren felt dead on his feet as he sat up from the couch upon hearing the knock at the door. His eyes felt puffy, and crusty, and his head was slightly pounding from only getting three hours of sleep after a good cry. Some ocean documentary was playing on the TV in the background, and Eren blinked. 

He was tempted to throw himself under his blanket in embarrassment at the reminder of last night’s conversation, having taken Levi’s advice when another knock at the door made him remember why he’d woken in the first place. 

Eren stood and hurried over to the door, trying to shake the exhaustion off as he unlocked the front door and swung it open wide. 

“You look startlingly like the shit I just took this morning.” 

…. _ Levi _ ?

He stood before him, cheeks slightly pink from the temperatures outside, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black petticoat. Eren stood there open mouthed, Levi having been the last thing he expected to see on the other side of his door. 

“W-What are you doing here? I mean, not that i’m unhappy to see you but it’s a little short notice and I-” 

Levi held up a hand and Eren immediately silenced. 

“Disregarding the fact that I have every right to be here seeing as i’m your  _ probation officer  _ and visits are in the  _ paperwork _ , i’m here today because we’re going on a little field trip.” 

Eren blinked at him in bewilderment. “A field trip?” 

“Literally the last words out of my mouth, but yes, a field trip. So go get your scrub ass some shoes on and we’ll go.” 

“I’m not a fucking scr--wait, just shoes? I mean, shouldn’t I at least change out of the clothes I slept in, or…?”

Levi shrugged at that, adjusting his black leather gloves. “Makes no difference to me, we aren’t going far. Whatever you do, do it quickly...please.”

Eren did exactly that, deciding to change his sweater and slap on some deodorant as well, just to be safe before returning to Levi and joining him outside the door, shutting it behind him. 

“So, where are we going?” 

"To invest in some insurance," Levi responded cryptically. Eren's perplexion must have showed on his face, because Levi continued quickly. "I'm going to insure my future sleep for the next eight months by nipping your fear in the bud sooner rather than later." 

Levi led them to just a few feet down the hall, stopping in front of apartment 666; Eren's noisy apparently non-existent neighbor. Eren could already feel sweat building on the back of his neck. 

"I don't think we should; besides, how would we get in there?" Eren countered, taking a step back from the door. 

"Your landlord is shit," Levi said as he calmly held up a key, which Eren assumed the landlord had given him. "Who just hands it over? No questions asked? The badge could've been fake." 

Eren swallowed as Levi turned to unlock the door as he spoke, seemingly oblivious to Eren's dilemma. 

"Levi, I can't--I'm not going in there." 

"You can and you will, Jaeger." And without grandeur Levi turned the key in the lock and swung the door open. 

It was dark, completely, save for the light coming in from the hallway. 

"Oh, no. Yeah, i'll just wait out here, okay? And hey, i'll even promise not to violate probation if you die." 

Levi gave him a blank stare. "I'm sure. C'mon, brat. We're going in." 

Eren didn't have time to question it before Levi turned on his phone flashlight and, grabbing his wrist in a grip that rivalled Mikasa's, pulled him along. 

"W-Wait, wait, you can't  _ see  _ what if there's--"

"Shut up. What is going to be here? People don't squat apartments."

Eren let out a strangled groan, tugging uselessly at Levi's hold as they crossed the threshold. 

"I just know there's something in here. I  _ heard  _ it," he hissed, leaning close as Levi turned the light this way and that, finally landing on what looked like a heavily covered up window. 

Levi led them to it and turned to Eren, giving him a look that said 'stay', before releasing his wrist and tearing at the coverings. 

Eren swallowed and begrudgingly began to help, wanting rays of light on his face more than anything. What felt like thick layers of newspapers and worn cloth fell away under his hands, a heavy smell of dust coating the inside of his nose and making him sneeze. 

And when he looked up, there was light pouring in from the window, illuminating…

"Holy hell." 

Eren's eyes widened and he glanced around himself at Levi's words. 

Symbols, which he assumed were satanic or occultist or  _ something _ he wanted nothing to do with, littered the walls around them.  

Some were painted in faded blacks and greys, and others a suspicious russet brown color. The floor was stripped down to the concrete and where they stood was a huge pentagram with more symbols decorating it and the floor around it. 

Eren also noted that the floor was cracked, not split wide but just enough where it went right through a section of the pentagram. 

"Hm," Levi squatted and narrowed his eyes at the cracked edge of the pentagram. " _ Something _ sure went bump in the night here." 

"Oh  _ now  _ he's a believer," Eren snapped. "I told you there was  _ something _ , and look." 

Levi merely hummed again, much to Eren's annoyance, standing and brushing off slacks that never touched the ground. "I don't have any conclusions about what you've been hearing that lie in the realm of real shit, but i'll have some friends in higher places than me look into the previous tenants here. Don't know what, but like you said; there is  _ something _ ."

* * *

_ "Eren, I need you to promise me." _

_ Eren furrowed his eyebrows, shifting under Armin's more than intense look. What could he say? He'd already let his friend down more than once, he wasn't about to set himself up to do it again. As though he could sense Eren's thoughts, Armin leaned forward and grasped Eren's hand, forcibly catching flighty verdant eyes with his own.  _

_ "Armin, I-" _

_ "Promise." Armin interrupted, eyes looking shinier than they were before and Eren succumbed, as he always did, if only to clear the mist from that clear blue.  _

_ "...I promise."  _

_ I promise. I promise I promise I promise promise promise PROMISE PROMISE I PROMISE I WON'T-- _

Eren awoke with a start, flying upright in his bed with a hand clutching the blankets entangling him painfully tight. The other came up to rest on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat gradually slow. 

The pain was a lot slower to fade. 

With that great start to his morning, Eren blearily made his way into the bathroom. Foregoing looking at his reflection entirely, certain his face reflected things that were enough to feel let alone see, he splashed his face with cold water and went about his morning ritual before slouching into the kitchen. 

_ Huh _ , Eren thought as he looked at the clock that read  _ 1 _ : _ 02 _ in bright green numbering.  _ Guess it was more of an afternoon ritual.  _

His eye was caught by a strip of white on the otherwise pristine table; a note from sister, saying she and Annie were out, don't get into trouble, don't do this don't do that blah, blah blah. Story of his life. 

One crumpled note and two bananas later, Eren was slipping his shoes on and heading out the door. He knew he couldn't go fifty feet away from the building, which left him plenty of room to wander around  _ inside _ . Namely, the irritatingly ironic apartment numbered 666. 

It had been a week since he'd last seen Levi, and four days since he'd last spoken with him. Not that he was counting, but he did actually need to keep track, so maybe he was. A little. Either way he still stood in front of the apartment, debating on whether or not the landlord would give  _ him  _ the key to get in. It was worth a shot, anyway. 

He wasn't surprised, maybe even a little fond, to arrive at the landlord's office and see Mr. Pixis cheerily nursing something of which the color was obscured by the aluminum of the bottle. 

"Y'know, it does no good to hide the liquor if I can smell it from the doorway," Eren said, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe. 

Mr.Pixis' eyes slid open and he chortled, a wet sound that made Eren fight a grimace.

"Oho, Eren! Long time no see, young man. I have no idea what you mean, this is simply all natural  _ apple juice _ . Fermented, so it smells a bit strong, you see." 

Eren raised his eyebrows at the man. "Apple juice?"

"Apple juice," Mr.Pixis nodded seriously, before livening up again. "Say, how's that sister of yours? It's always the blonde I end up seeing now, not that I mind, but Mikasa's one  _ exceptional  _ beauty with certain assets i'd like to--" 

"O-kay, tell you what. I'll pretend to believe you're drinking old juice that happens to smell like Irish Whiskey and that you did  _ not  _ just talk about my sister or her assets--if, you could possibly lend me the key to apartment 666," Eren rattled off, stepping fully into the office and leaning his hands on the desk. 

Mr. Pixis, blinked, before taking on a thoughtful expression. "That ol' apartment, hm? Hasn't been shown much interest until just recently. Wonder why that is." 

Eren narrowed his eyes as Mr.Pixis looked at him like a sly old fox.  _ He doesn't know _ , Eren reasoned petulantly.  _ How could he know? _ "You don't know." Eren said, just to confirm.

"You don't sound sure of that. Could this have anything to do with the amusing young badge who was in here about a week ago? Pretty rude, demanding things from me, callin' me an old man. You don't think i'm old, right Eren?" 

"Of course not," Eren deadpanned.

Mr.Pixis laughed loudly at that. "Oh, you kids always got spirit. Sure, i'll give you the key. Tell your sister not to be a stranger, alright?" 

"Aren't you married? With children?" Eren grouched even as he was handed the key.

"Aren't we all," Mr.Pixis mused, leaning back in his chair. 

Eren had no idea what that meant or how to respond to it, so he left.

He also considered calling Levi for his weekly check-in before heading in, if for nothing more than a confidence booster. He ultimately decided against it realizing Levi's form of a confidence boost would probably be 'don't fucking do it'. He was doing it.

He had the key in the lock. He was doing it. He just needed to turn it and step inside. He was doing it. There's nothing in there, he'd already seen for himself. He was doing it--

"Are you going to do it?" 

Eren nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned to face the speaker, coming face to face with a small blonde woman who was coming out of her apartment directly across from him. She locked her door and adjusted her circular glasses before staring at him expectantly.   
"Wh-do what? I wasn't doing anything. What's it to you?" 

The woman raised one bushy eyebrow. "Go in already. You annoy me."

Eren blanched, sputtering because  _ how dare she who the hell _ \--but before he could voice his indignation she was beginning to walk away. 

"Wait!" He said, and she stopped, turning to look at him. "Do you--how long have you lived in this building?" 

The woman blinked. "A few months." Eren deflated at that, his hopes of interrogating her about previous residents flattened. Although, if it had been longer, he supposed he would have seen her before he'd left.

"But my grandmother lived here before." 

"Really?" Eren brightened. "You're talking about Ilse, right? Did she ever say anything about the tenants in this apartment when she lived here? How long was she here?" Eren remembered the old woman who used to live here, just slightly. He'd help carry her groceries sometimes, but she always seemed kind of out of it.

The woman sighed, pushing up her glasses once more. "She lived here for eleven years before she was forced into a retirement home. Dementia." 

Eren frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't--" She held up a hand, and he quieted. 

"It's fine. She talked about the tenants in 666...often, to say the least, before they moved out. She was constantly on about 'ungodly' things going on in that apartment. Said the people there looked at her and she saw the devil at work in their eyes."

Eren swallowed, eyebrows drawn low. "And...they took her away, for that?" He asked hesitantly.

"Partly. Her mind was going, and this was just one of the many fantasies she entertained." 

"So you didn't believe her?" 

At this, the woman's previously grey countenance seemed to liven with red hot anger as she snapped a cutting gaze his way. "Would  _ you  _ have? She's eighty-two now. What part was I supposed to believe? That there were demons living next door, or that my brother was really my dead grandfather?" 

Eren frowned heavily, but didn't avert his eyes. "You're right, of course you're right; but what if there was some truth to what she was saying? Have you looked inside the apartment?" 

"To what end? She could have interpreted any number of noises to be something outlandish. It would prove nothing," she said curtly, sounding more tired now than angry. 

"All i'm saying is that your grandmother wasn't-- _ isn't- _ -totally wrong. I've been in apartment 666. The things in there are...unsettling. Like,  _ really  _ unsettling. So, maybe all those other things made her condemnable, but not this. She was right about this, and you can tell her I said that." 

The woman stared at Eren for a long time after that, to the point where Eren's determined fire that had lit begun to fade and he started to feel awkward until she huffed, shutting her eyes for a moment before opening them to reveal a softer gaze. 

"I see. You're a fool. " 

Eren flushed angrily. "Hey!" 

"But....thank you. My name is Rico. And for the record, you're not the only one i've seen snooping around there since i've lived here. I'd be careful." 

"...I’m Eren. And thanks, I think." Came his confused reply, still scowling, and the woman smiled a tiny smile before tipping her head in acknowledgment. And then she was stalking down the hallway, disappearing around the corner before Eren could ask anything else about the matter.

Eren was starting think he was just bad with women, in general. At least she made the idea of going into the room again seem less scary than it had before. What could be worse than the look he'd gotten from Rico? He shuddered. Not much. An even bigger question was who else was here, and what were  _ they  _ looking for? It was evidently easy enough to get the key.

He opened the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked writing this chapter. I dunno why. HOPEFULLY YOU LIKED READING IT COMMENT TO LIGHTEN THE WEIGHT OF MY CRIPPLING BASKET OF MENTAL ILLNESS THANKS BYE


	7. There's An Endless Road To Re-Discover

It looked exactly the same when he stepped inside, looking around himself. Same symbols, same creepiness. Maybe a little more amplified now that he didn't have Levi along. He honestly wasn't sure what he was intending to do once he got in here. When he and Levi had looked through the back rooms previously, it was more of the same. Symbols, concrete floors, covered windows. He hadn't wanted to look too hard when Levi was there, already receiving 'are you crazy' looks from him when started listening to the walls for the noises he had heard. 

But he was at a loss. There had to be something here that explained what he heard. He wasn't usually inclined to believe in the supernatural, but was it so strange a thing to consider when he was literally standing on evidence of it?

Eren wandered through the apartment, paying closer attention to what he saw. He was almost meticulous in searching for something he wasn't sure he'd even find. 

Until he saw it. 

A minuscule, nearly invisible raised line about a foot along on the wall in the furthest room. He instantly knelt and ran his fingers along the edge, finding that it continued on the sides down to the floor. 

_ It feels like someone put wallpaper over cardboard _ , Eren thought. He pressed harder with his fingertips, and sure enough, the square he'd felt outlined gave way.  _ Bingo _ . 

The cardboard came away with the wallpaper, like a small flimsy door. He carefully slid it open, and noticed upon looking down there was an angled dust-less space following the path where the door opened along the floor. Eren frowned as he realized whoever Rico had seen here before must have done the same thing he had, and fairly recently if the dust hadn't had time to build back up completely.

His eyes then shifted over to what the door hid, struck suddenly with a sense of déjà vu. A small, hand made doll sat on the floor there, somehow more tattered than the one he'd found in his own apartment. 

When he picked it up he fingered the edges of its little blue jacket, noting the pentagram on the chest and its lack of yarn hair. Less detail, but no less creepy. 

How had the other doll ended up in his apartment, let alone deep in a box in his closet, packed away? Assuming the dolls were connected, that is, but they were too similar to be a coincidence. 

Eren wondered if he should nab the doll, for investigative purposes, but nixed the idea. Whoever was here would know it was missing, and just because they wouldn't know who took it didn't mean they wouldn't go looking. 

He shut the door, and headed out of the apartment, head full of noisy questions rattling around like ping pong balls.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew man, sorry for the wait on this one. I got a new job and there was classes registration my birthday just passed and a funeral and--yeah. Life screwed me up the ass with no lube the past few weeks. BUT THANKS FOR READING MAKE MY WEEK AND COMMENT

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is a fic I've been working on and it's not completely finished yet, but i'm having fun writing it and wanted to share it with you. It seems pretty dramatic at first but it'll only go so low...or will it? Nah, no one dies or anything, and my only trigger warnings are for Eren's anxiety/panic attacks, or if you're not about that occult life. I relish comments, tell me what you think, and i'll reply to as many as I can. I plan to smut the hell out of this in later chapters, so a heads up if you're not about that life either. Enjoy reading!


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